Carrot Cake Oatmeal

I don't know about all of you but this whole "Winter thing" is over rated the second the holidays were over.  But I will say the one good thing about the cold temps is that warm oatmeal sounds great every morning.  It's something that the summertime does not offer!  The topping to this oatmeal is the absolute best part so be sure not to skimp on it. There is something about warm, creamy, chewy oatmeal topped with a cold sweet crunchy topping.  The contrast in the temperatures are amazing!

Carrot Cake Oatmeal
adapted by Oh She Glows

1/2 cup regular oats
1 cup almond milk (or soy, rice, etc)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 large carrot, finely grated (1 heaping cup)
2 tablespoons coconut milk cream (use the cream off the top of a full-fat can only)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, to taste
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
Pinch of kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons crushed walnuts, divided
1 tablespoon coconut milk cream + 1/2 tsp pure maple syrup (to drizzle on top)
Shredded coconut, for garnish
Cinnamon, for garnish
Raisins, for garnish

Finely grate the large carrot to yield 1 heaping cup of grated carrots.  Note that you want to use the fine grate, not the large one so the carrot shreds are very small.

In a medium sized pot over medium heat, add your almond milk, lemon juice, and coconut milk cream.  Stir well.  Add in your spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger) and salt.  Stir again until mixed.

Stir in your grated carrots and oats.  Adjust heat if necessary or bring heat to low if it starts to boil.  Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring frequently.  When the mixture has thickened up, stir in the vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon crushed walnuts and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup.  Remove from heat and pour into a bowl.

Top with 1 tablespoon of crushed walnuts and tsp of shredded coconut.  Prepare your coconut milk cream and maple syrup mixture and drizzle it over the top.  Sprinkle with cinnamon for garnish.